Ash disposal unit for fireplace



b- 1956 a. E. HAGEN ASH DISPOSAL UNIT FOR FIR EPLACE Filed June 4. 1952 AGENT QThis invention relates generally to receptacles and con- Uni State Pareto,

tainers ,Iandfniore parti cularly to an ash receptacle. Y

Specifically, theinvention is concerned with an ash dis-.

posalunit for use in connection with a fireplace for receivingthe ashes formed in thefirebox due to burning of wood, charcoal or other materials.

Fireplaces'c'onstructed in the outside walls. of homes and other buildings are usually provided with an opening inthe firebox floor through whichashes may be swept to fall into the lower portion of thefireplace beneaththe floor, such'opening being normally closedby a suitable cover; In accordance with conventional fireplace construction, an. outside clean-out door is provided by which the ashesv may be periodically removed. Y his well known that removalof the ashes through theclean-out door is a somewhat laborious task which is.frequently.,com-

plicatedxbythe presence of shrubbery and vine growing alongside the fireplace and which must be climbed over by the person'removing the .ashes.= Forthis reason, and the fact that;=the .ashes arequite apt to be spilled and blown around-during, such removal, such conventional certain-instances, the'fi'replaces are installed in the inside walls. of homes or other'buildings so thatthe, use of outside clean outedoorsiis;impossible. -ln such cases, the ashes must be swept directly from the firebox floorinto clean-out means areco-nsideredi'quite impractical. ,QLIn

'axdust-panionother container which is carried outdoors to be emptied. This procedure obviously results in spilling the ashes inthe, house to create a very unsatisfactory condition. g1 It is, therefore -an important-objectofi my invention to provideaanash receptacle which is soconstructed and located in-the firepIace as to adapt it;to receive the ashes formed on the firebox floorand-fl'capable of beings-removed as a unit from withinthe' building; By this pro- -vision,' ;the ashes may-be deposited and stored in: the

.receptacle and the receptacle-removed when it is full by simply lifting it from the fireboxfloor.

,,,Another.object of the'invention isito provide an ash disposal unit ,which includes a rectangular frame in stalled as the. rim of an opening formed in the firebox floor, a shut metal box-like receptacle havinga perimetricaltflan'gerat its upper end adapted to rest upon an inwardly directed flangeof the, frame to suspend the l receptacle therefrom, and a two-part cover detachably mounted on the" frame and normally overlying the top of. the receptacle to closethe same. i

,Anotherobject is'to provide an ash disposal unitin 'which the cover includes'a'member pivotally connected to the rearward end of'the frame and resting in .horizontal position against one or:more lugs formedon the frame Fig. 2; and a to normally closegjthe rearwardjportionof the rash receptacle -A related object ,is to provide such a. cover member which has rearwardlyprojecting hinge ears fitting within recesses at. therearward endof the, frame and, pro.- d s t ..;t r rece in ranl ver lv extendin Yhm e-p aspathe ram Bnth viv t moi iaeth rearward cover member may conveniently be pivoted 1 of a fireplace;

upwardly and then shifted bodily to disconnect its hinge ears from the pins to permit removal of the member.

, Another object'is to provide a cover having a forward member having a sliding engagement with the frame to adapt this member who slid in a rearward direction to close the forward endof the receptacle, and to be slid forwardly to uncover said forward end so that ashes maybe swept fromthe firebox floor into the receptacle. In accordance with the present concept, the forward portions of the sides of the frame are provided with tracks which are inclined upwardly toward the front end of the unit, the forward cover member having inclined grooves in its side edges for receiving the tracks so as to mount th is member for forward and rearward sliding movement. By this provision, the forward cover,member may be'slid. forwardly and upwardly so as to, clear the redge ofthe floor opening in which the frame is-installed. Thus, the forward cover member is whollyremovable and the rear member is tiltable to adapt the ash receptacle to be lifted from the floor opening for the purpose of emptying its contents.

A further object is to provide front and rear cover members which aire adapted for economical manufacture as metal castings, these members being hollow on their undersides to render them light in Weight so that they may be easily handled.

A further object is to provide means for facilitating I pulling of the front cover member forwardly to open position this means consisting of an upwardly extending curved lip providing a notch for receiving the hook of a'firep lace tool by which the member may be pulled fo w y A still further object of the invention is to provide-an ash disposal unit, of the character referred to, which is adapted forinstallation in fireplaces of the types constructed in eitherinside or outside walls of a building, one which is relatively light in weight, yet sturdy in construe? tion; and durable in use, and one economical manufacture. I

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following description, and: from the drawing-which is intended forthe purpose of illustration only, and in which: ,Fig. l is a perspective view of myash disposal unit, showing it installedin an opening of thefirebox 'floor 2 .is a longitudinalsectionalview, takenon line 2+ 2fi pf Fig.1, the entire cover being; shown fully closed-position over the ash receptacle; ,1 Fig.3 is a view similar to Fig, 2,; showing the front cover member slid forwardly 10,311 extent to permit sweeping ashes into .the receptacle fromthe firebox floor;

Fig. 4 isa cross-sectional view, takenon line 4-4 of Fig 5 is afragmentary plan view ofone of the rearward corners of the frame andrear cover member.

Referring to the drawing in detail, my ash disposal wardly from the, lower flange 14, and anupper' horiz'on tal fiange 17 which .isseated upon the lfirebox and surrounding the .opening 8. i

."As shown in Figs. ;2 and' 3, therupper flange '17J1is I omitted-at theforward side of the frame, for thepurpose with? ipresently explained- At ,the intersection ;.,0f-. its

sid s an re rlp r' ionl hei ame i pr v e w thts g s 9 and-.hinseza nsfi tqeq ne ate a n in os idslots,

see Fig. 5'. Substantially midway along the sides of which is adapted for wave the frame 15, the lower flanges 14 are provided with lugs or rests 22. Adjacent their forward ends, the webs 16 at the sides of the frame have inwardly directed, longitudinally extending tracks 25 (Figs. 3 and 4), these tracks being inclined upwardly and forwardly toward the front end of the frame,

Adapted to be supported by the frame is a -sheet metal, box-like ash receptacle 26. As shown, the receptacle 26 has its upper edge portion folded laterally outward to provide a flange-like rim 27 which, when the receptacle isin place, rests upon the lower flange 14 to suspend the receptacle from the frame. While the ash receptacle 26 may be of any desired size, I have found that areceptacle of the approximate dimensions, 9 long x 14 wide x at least 14" high, provides ade quate storage for ashes in the fireplace of a home. Preferably, the receptacle 26 is provided with pivoted handles 28 at' its sides by which it can be conveniently lifted from the frame 15. i i

The ash disposal, unit also, has a cover for normally closing the open top of the ash receptacle 26. As herein shown, the cover includes a rear cover member or lid 30 and a front cover member or slidable closure 31. The member 30 takes the form of a cast metal rectangular plate, the under side of which is cored to provide a depending, perimetrical rim 32. At its rearward corners, the sides of the member 30 are extended rearwardly in hinge ears 33 which have holes for receiving the hingepins 21 so as to hingedly connect this cover memherto the frarnelS and thus adapt the member to pivot from its'h'orizontal position, in which it overlies the rearward portion of the receptacle to close the same, to a sub- :stantiaily vertical position, as indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 3, to open this portion of the receptacle. During normal use ofthe ash disposal unit, the cover member 30 assumes its said closed position, at which time the rim 52 at its forward end rests upon the lugs 22. The front cover member 31 is also of plate like form andhas a cored-out lower portion providing a rearward flange 36 and side flanges 37,'the'lower edges of which are arcuate at the forward end of the member. 'The side flanges 37 are formed with inclined grooves 38 for receiving the inclined tracks of the frame 15. By this connection, the front cover member 31 is normally supported in closed position with its rearward edge abutting the forward edge of the rear cover member 30. The member 31 may, however, he slid forwardly to open the forward portion of the ash receptacle 26 when it is desired to sweep ashes into the receptacle.

The cover member 31 may also be completely removed from the unit by sliding it forwardly as shown in Fig. 3, with the member riding along the inclined tracks 25. To facilitate such forward sliding movement,

the'cover member 31 is provided with a recessed ear 40 r into which the hooked end 41 of a fireplace tool carrbe engaged. When the covermember 31 is in its closed position, a lateral flange 42 at the forward end thereof overlies the forward end of the frame 15 to take the place of the flange 17 which, as previously explained, is omitted at the forward portion of the frame.

When the cover member 31 is slid outwardly to open position, a stop projection 43 on its bottom strikes the web 16 to normally limit such forward movement, but sincethere exists considerable clearance between the grooves 38 and the tracks25, the cover member may be tilted upwardly to cause its stop 43 to clear the front of the fraine 15. Assuming that the frame 15 has been installed in the opening 8 of the firebox floor 9, to assemble the unit in place the ash receptacle 26 is first lowered into the frame 15 as shown with its rim 27 resting upon the lower flange 14 of the frame. The rear-cover member 30 then is pivotally connected to theframe 15 by holding the member in avertical position and insertingits ears 33-into the slots 20, after which the rnemberris holes in the ears.

moved transversely to cause the pins 21 to enter the The cover member 30 thusis hingedly connected and may be pivoted downwardly to horizontal position as shown in full lines in Figs. 1 to 3. The front cover member 31 is then placed in position with the forward ends of the tracks 25 entering the rearward ends of the grooves (Fig. 3), after which the member is slid rearwardly to the positionshown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4.

With. th sh i Pq sl un t the i te ls s t place, it is located entirely beneath the fireplace floor 9 so as not to interfere with the fireplace grate, andirons or other equipment. Following the burning 'of wood, charcoal or other combustible material, the ashes formed on the fire-box iloor may be conveniently disposed of by simply sliding the front cover member 31 forwardly, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to open the forward portion of the receptacle 26, after which the ashes may be swept from the firebox fioor into the receptacle. Following such deposit of the ashes in the receptacle, the cover member 31 is slid rearwardly .tothe position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 so asto close the receptacle."" 3

This procedure is repeated, following each usev of the fireplace and when it is observed that the receptacle 26 is nearly full, it is removed for emptying. Removal of the receptacle is accomplished by first sliding the cover member 31 forwardly to completely disengage it from the unit. The rear cover member 30 then is pivoted upwardly on the pins 21 to the position indicated by broken lines in Fig. 3. With the parts of the cover thus fully opened, the ashreceptacle 26may be lifted vertically from the frame 15, by means of the handles 28. The receptacle is then carried to a place where the ashes are to be disposed of, after which the receptacle is returned to the fireplace and lowered into the :frame 15. The cover member 30 is then swung downto its closed position and the cover member 31 is slid into the frame 15 to close theforward end of the receptacle. Through the provision of the slots 20, pins 21 and ears 33, the cover member 30 is assembled on the frame-15 without the use of tools and fasteners, and the member may be removed at any time by simply lifting and sliding it laterally in the slots 20 to free its ears from the hingepins so that themember can be lifted bodily'from the unit. a

While I have herein disclosed my ash disposal unit as embodied in a preferred formof construction, by way of example, will be apparent that various modifi'cations might be made in the structure and arrangement of the-parts without departing from the spirit of :scope of the invention. Consequently, I do not wish to'be limited in this respect, but desire to be afforded the-full scope of the appended claim. i V 1 I. claim as my invention: 1

--An ash disposal unit for use in connection with-a fireplace having a firebox fioon'comprisin g: an open frame adapted to be fitted within an-opening the floor and having a shelf and lugs at its sides; a box-lil erceptacle fitting within the frame and havinga'perimetricalfrim adapted to rest upon said shelf so "as to suspend the receptaclefrom the frameg a first cover member pivotally mounted on the frame and adapted to be pivoted to one position to rest upon said lugs so as to overlie a first portion of the open top of the receptacle to close the same andto a second position to open said portion;-and a second cover member slidably mounted on the frame and adapted to be slid toa firstp'osition to overlie a sec ond portion of the open top ofthe receptacle-to close the same with said-first and-secondcover members-in coplanar relation across .the open top of the receptacle, and to a second positionto open-saidsecondportion for the purpose of adapting said receptacle to receive ashes from the firebox fioor through saidsecond portion of the receptacle top, said first and second members being selectively removable from said frame, said first cove'i' member having an outer-transverse edge, said-' second 5 i 6 cover member having an inner transverse edge engage- References Cited in the file of this patent able with saido lter transverse edge'of said first cover UNITED STATES PATENTS member to hunt Inward sliding movement of said second cover member, said frame having inclined tracks at its 32,962 ge y 1885 sides, said second cover member having side flanges 5 464,409 mf 9 provided with arcuate lower edges adapted to ride up- 825630 W111 1am$ y 1906 Wardly along an edge of said frame, said flanges having 991,836 Dorlng y 9, 1911 inclined grooves in their sides receiving said tracks to $416,132 1947 slidably mount the second cover member on said frame 2,457,966 zaldfm 1949 for sliding movement toward and away from said first 10 2,481,878 Rflbmson P 1949 cover member 9 ,80 vltale Mar. 25, 1952 

